Finance Analyst – Cost Insights & Performance

WE ARE LANDSEC

We identify and shape places that create opportunity, enhance quality of life, and bring joy to the people connected to them. This is how we’ve created the UK’s leading portfolio of urban places and one of the largest real estate companies in Europe. Our £10 billion portfolio is built around premium workplaces, the country’s pre-eminent retail platform, and a residential pipeline that will redefine urban life.

We’ve honed this ability over 80 years. Spotting the opportunities, building the partnerships, and continually adapting to shape the places that meet the needs of a changing world. Places where life happens. Where businesses grow. And where cities are defined.

LOCATION

The role is based in Victoria, London, with the majority of the working week spent in the office and the remainder working from home and / or another suitable Landsec location. Hybrid working arrangements may vary across teams depending on the nature of the role.

THE TEAM

• This is an exciting opportunity to join our Commercial Finance team as we continue to enhance our planning, forecasting and performance management capabilities. Reporting to the Finance Director, Commercial Planning & Performance, you'll help improve budgeting, forecasting and cost analysis, providing insights that support better business decisions.
• Working closely with Finance Directors, Business Partners and the Group Performance Management team, you'll drive reporting improvements, enhance performance analytics and help maximise the value of our planning systems.

THE ROLE

• We're looking for a commercially minded, systems-savvy individual with strong analytical skills, a proactive approach and a passion for continuous improvement. You'll be comfortable challenging assumptions, building relationships across the business and turning data into meaningful insights.
• Salary: Competitive

PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES

Cost Analysis and Reporting

• Deliver monthly cost performance insight for our internal business units (Retail and Workplace), investigating and highlighting key variances to the Finance Business Partners and informing of future risks and opportunities. Ability to use data led analysis and external benchmarks to identify trends and create opportunities to reduce the cost base.
• Lead Net Service Charge performance insight partnering closely with the Service Charge finance team ensuring process efficiencies and alignment in void units, defective and capped leases and consistency across Business Units.

• Work closely with the Group Finance team to ensure the accuracy and integrity of our reported data and complete first reviews of month end financials highlighting any material variances.
• Ensure our month end reporting requirements are delivered in line with the reporting deadlines, and proactively take the lead in identifying opportunities to further enhance the process to drive greater efficiency and effectiveness.
• Partner closely with the Finance Business Partners in the Business Units to monitor, challenge and influence cost performance delivering clear impactful analysis and insight to influence decision-making and contributes directly to income optimisation.

System led Budgeting and Forecasting – Costs

• Own and lead the monthly rolling cost forecasts working closely with the Finance Business Partners to understand key assumptions including maintaining R&O schedule
• Expert in the planning tool, OneStream, to efficiently model assumptions utilising driver based lease modelling and prepare concise and timely reports for the Finance Business Partners to agreed SLA’s
• Lead the modelling of Cost assumptions for the annual budget process, utilising the rolling forecasts. Embed standard and efficient end-to-end process.
• Challenge and innovate current ways of working through system optimisation to transform the forecast and budget process creating capacity for further insight and analysis to drive the Business Units forwards.
• Support preparation of annual budget packs for the Finance Directors of the Business Units to ensure clear communication of the financials, drivers and insight into the cost base

System

• Super user of the OneStream system, efficiently navigating the system, maintaining suite of automated reports and build additional analysis as required by the business.
• Continuously challenge the status quo and use systems expertise to enhance all processes, reporting, analysis and insights.
• Stay at the forefront of system developments and builds, collaborating with the Group FP&A team in regards to system optimisation and roll outs to ensure full potential is realised

Other

• Customer appraisal support for the Finance Business Partners
• Provide JV Management reporting in accordance to agreed SLA’s in partnership with the  Finance Business Partners
• Ability to use other reporting tools such as PowerBi to analysis and integrate data effectively
• Identify and report any inaccuracies in lease data to the lease administrators / Portfolio team
• Keep up-to-date with relevant industry and economic news and use this to inform reporting and ad hoc analysis within the segment.
• Assist with other finance processes and projects, as required.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Fully Qualified Accountant (ACA, CIMA, ACCA).
• Experience of Cost analysis supporting decision making.
• Experience of analysing information from a variety of sources to monitor and track performance and to predict trends including PowerBI experience.
• Keen interest in Systems and proven ability to work with financial planning and reporting tools, ideally OneStream.
• Budget and Forecasting experience
• Strong Excel and PowerBi skills with the ability to present information in a way that’s clear and understandable to your audience.
• Able to demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Ability to spot when things don’t look right, understand what needs to be corrected and why.

Life and Benefits at Landsec

We have a great benefits package, there to support you with your work-life balance and in moments that matter.  We offer fantastic Learning and Development opportunities to help you grow and reach your potential and we also play our part in supporting the communities where we live and work.

Below are some of our core benefits, make sure to visit our My Total Reward page for more information.

• Performance based annual bonus plan

• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) rising to 27 days after 2 years and the option to purchase up to 10 additional days each year. Enjoy an additional three-day December festive break on top of your leave and a special ‘My Day’ to take off for whatever you choose.

• Enhanced pension contributions – Landsec will contribute up to 10.5% subject to your contribution.

• Private medical insurance, Health Cash Plan, Life assurance and income protection.

• Enhanced maternity, adoption, shared parental leave policies (view our Family policies page for more details)

• Two different share plans enabling you to share in the success you will help to build

• Up to 4 working days to volunteer per year and 'Give As You Earn' programmes allowing you to donate to charities straight out of your pay and we top up by 20%

And when it comes to your health and wellbeing you will also have access to other benefits: our employee assistance programme, digital GP, cycle to work scheme, a mindfulness app and a health app supporting fertility and menopause

Diversity and Inclusion

At Landsec, we value diversity & inclusion. We work to better reflect the diversity of the communities we work within and empower everyone who works at Landsec to realise their potential.

We strive to ensure all our information, and services are accessible to and usable by everyone. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or would like us to do anything differently to help you apply for our roles, please get in touch with our recruitment partners by emailing recruitmentqueries@landsec.com

To find out more about our approach, visit our Diversity and Inclusion page.